Firavitoba

Firavitoba
Municipality and town
Twilight over Firavitoba
Flag Seal
Location of the municipality and town of Firavitoba in the Boyacá Department of Colombia
Coordinates: 5°39′N 73°00′W / 5.650°N 73.000°W / 5.650; -73.000Coordinates: 5°39′N 73°00′W / 5.650°N 73.000°W / 5.650; -73.000
Country	Colombia
Department	Boyacá Department
Province	Sugamuxi Province
Founded	There is no fixed date 1634 - 1781
Government
• Mayor	Karol Ricardo Ramirez Silva (2016-2019)
Area
• Total	109.9 km2 (42.4 sq mi)
Elevation	2,490 m (8,170 ft)
Population
• Total	5,730
• Density	52/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
Website	Official website

Firavitoba is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the Sugamuxi Province, a subregion of Boyacá.

Etymology

Firavitoba comes from the Muisca roots Fiba (how many or air) and faoa (clouds), according to the Manual of History of Colombia.

Geography

Firavitoba is located on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at an altitude of 2,490 metres (8,170 ft) and borders the municipalities of Paipa and Tibasosa in the north, Iza and Pesca in the south, Sogamoso in the east and Tuta and Toca to the west.^[1] Its' area is 106 square kilometers, part of them flat and part of them mountainous. Its' highest part is the hill of Guática at 3228 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by the Chiquito River, one of the tributaries that form the Chicamocha River; and broken like The Great one, of The Friars.

History

They started the crops in a rudimentary way, as a form of self-supply, since those who loomed to these lands were still nomadic. From long before the year 4000 a. C. the arracacha was planted, of Ecuadorian origin, the cubios of Colombian cradle, the ibia and the chugua; the potato from Bolivia and the quinoa from Lake Titicaca had their entrance to this part around 3500 a. C; corn came from Central America, on a small scale at the beginning, between the year 3500 and 3000 a. C; the beans originating in Mexico, arrived around the year 2000 a. C. when there was more population stability.

The natives who populated these lands were possibly Arhuacos, according to the thesis of the Spanish archaeologist José Pérez de Barradas; they lived on the shores of lakes. This race was of more cultured Mongolian origin, because for that time there was more quiet in the displacements of the tribes and a group was organized on a hill where many districts can be seen, like a watchtower, which they called Guática (song of the fenced the mountain^[2]) and formed the town Firavitoba (air of clouds).

Twenty ages before arriving the Spaniards, who were like of seventy years each one, that is approximately in the year 140, everything happened in this property in normal form; Suddenly, it is said that he appeared from the south, like the sun, a character that had on his head and arms a sign of the cross and at the same end, a club that he carried in his hand, this was Bochica, the character I teach to work, to dress and to believe in God, raising the temple to My Lord.

The Chibcha invasion happened approximately in the seventh century of our era, coming from the Isthmus of Panama. The conquering people merged with the conquered people in a single culture possibly in peace and as such the primitive myths that had been learned were distorted; then it was introduced that the priests there were alternated between Firavitoba and Tobasia. That tradition lasted until the Iberian invasion.

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada coming from Santa Marta, after many hardships he had climbed the mountain range through the Vélez region, towards Bogotá after a year of expedition, in 1537, following then towards Garagoa and Obeitá, where they knew that the emerald mines were close by. Somondoco When he received news of his envoys to recognize these lands, that by the space between two mountains they had seen a very extensive plain that seemed so close, it seemed to Jiménez of Quesada that it would be better to send a commission under the command of Captain Juan of Sanmartin, who left the last Muisca domains, but not before passing serious dangers. Passing from Baganique to Pesca, in which they found resistance Muisca, but without doing damage they arrived at Iza, where they had known that those who traded with people from the plains lived. When an indigenous messenger from Duitama arrived there, they decided to go there, but when they arrived in Firavitoba, they knew that it was not easy to subdue him and they decided to turn around spotting Suamox, the Rome of the Muiscas. But wanting to go there, an indigenous guide made them lose and they were again in Baganique.

On a new expedition they arrived at Suamox and seeing so much wonder they were enchanted with the Temple of the Sun, which they inadvertently burned. With the destruction of their temple the aborigines tried to resist but were annihilated and the chieftain of Firavitoba, tortured died.

Then began the era of Spanish rule by appointing commissioner in the year 1547, as in all the towns, to one of the soldiers of Nicolás de Federmán, to Luis de Sanabria^[3], who would command the Indians of Firavitoba, Cormechoque and Sichacá.

With the Royal Audience came the Franciscans. The Spaniards tried to destroy what were indigenous customs because they were considered diabolical. But, although the natives were very reluctant to the new doctrine and the new customs, and although they seemed to be convinced they understood that with the invaders had to pretend, not to suffer penalties imposed by them, since they had superior weapons and it was useless to fight them.

In 1558 came the smallpox epidemic, then a serious disease that attacked the natives, who had not developed immunity. The parents abandoned the children or these to their parents and they should be thrown into distant fields.

Wanting to force the adoption of Catholicism, they started touring the villages and in 1577 a delegate and a notary arrived in Firavitoba; idols of wood, snails and small emeralds were received. It is said that an Indian was given ten lashes, because although he frequented the doctrine, he kept and frequented the sanctuaries.

The commissioner Luis of Sanabria, had two daughters, Catalina and Luisa Micaela. The first had contracted marriage (1577) with Martin of Rojas and Lucena, who happened to be the owner of the entrust.

In 1601 the dominions of possessions were modified, appearing entrusts to protect the aboriginal population, Coromocho (Cormechoque) and Sichacá were added to Siachoque, whereas Firavitoba was apart. Each village of Indians was given a site for the erection of its chapel, with very precise measurements (fifty-four yards long and twelve wide for foundations), in addition to its square, located at the front, of seventy males in square shape, forming villages, keeping a common piece as farmland, for their crops, as well as other land for their lands, pastures, paddock of their cattle, so they did not have to move and had permanent doctrine.

Fray Domingo de Molina being a doctrinaire, at the beginning of 1633 came the typhus epidemic. Mrs. Catalina de Rojas y Sanabria, married to Juan de Sandoval, died and ordered in her will that a chaplaincy be created in her stay, with an amount of one thousand weights for this. The following year Friar Francisco Pérez, of the Franciscans, was appointed to exercise the patronage of said chaplaincy; then began to rise with the effort of faith, the foundations of the beautiful temple, colonial architecture, which was affected by an earthquake in 1644. A fire that had killed Mrs. Josefa of Fonseca and Alarcón (wife of the murdered Gerónimo of Rojas and Niño, fourth commissioner) when trying to take an image of the Virgin, finished destroying it. Then Friar Felipe Lozano, as a doctrinaire, in 1678 proposed to raise it again, being indigenous chief Pedro Neacha, belonging to Francisco of Vargas.

The last commissioner, Lorenzo de Rojas y Niño, before dying, perhaps in redemption of his sins, gave in donation to the Society of Jesus in 1691, large houses that overlooked the main square of Tunja and his farm of Firavitoba, one of the richest of the New Kingdom, one of the richest in the New Kingdom, had 24,000 yards of perimeter. In the beginning of the eighteenth century the climate was not very favorable for the indigenous people of Firavitoba during a long period of twenty years, when there were continuous losses of sowing, for which by 1706 they began to fail in the payment of the delays, and as they amortized until they reached them, because of the fear of arrest they began to flee from the village, one after the other, in such a way that they reached three hundred the absent ones. Thus implemented the distributions in 1718 the commissioner was in a difficult situation, in addition to the flight of those Indians, the tribe head of Gotua was annihilated and the case of wealthy people who bought lands was presented.

Baptism books are known only until 1729 and the first game found is signed by the priest Francisco Antonio Velez Ladrón of Guevara (*), while the first pastoral visit, recorded in the books, was practiced by Monsignor Antonio Claudio Álvarez of Quiñones, Archbishop of Santa fe of Bogotá, in 1730.

The theories of the Jesuits had created a malaise among the Spaniards because they were not allowed to do their will with the natives; then they promoted a way to get rid

of that community of catechists, and they sent commissions before the king to say that they were bad elements that infused dangerous ideas, that it was good to separate them from society. The King of Spain, then in 1767, ordered to expatriate them and confiscate their property, including many books; thus, the hacienda of Firavitoba was extinguished and passed into the hands of the Spaniard José Antonio del Lago. On the other hand the natives were transferred to Nobsa and finished their entrusts, but before the Revolution of the Common People in 1781, they were returned but lost some land. Then the parish was created and Firavitoba ceased to be a doctrinaire town of Indians.

At the time of independence, after the revolt of July 20, 1810 in Santa fe, some changes occurred, and although the regime of terror of Pablo Morillo came in 1816, in which the priest Carlos Suarez was imprisoned for preaching freedom , came the liberation campaign in 1819, in which the total independence of New Granada took place, with the battles of Vargas Swamp, very close to Firavitoba and The Bridge of Boyaca, in which the son of Firavitoba Cayetano Avella lost his life.

In the Republican era, the municipality lost importance and was forgotten by Colombians, although public primary schools were established before 1832. There were earthquakes in 1826 and 1827 that seriously affected the temple, but the local legislature did not solve anything but They passed by unfounded discussions.

Only until the year of 1869 (*), when Father Ignacio Ramón Avella arrived as priest, was it that some progress was noticed. From a model brought from Paris he proposed to build a gigantic temple made of stone. Thus, four years later the work began, with the direction of the Lord Cure in person, first with the bases that were of great depth and then the lifting of the walls. But, the moment arrived when scaffolding was needed and the whole town went to the village of Bogüita, across the lagoon of Tota to bring the wood, in an otherwise epic day.

In 1901 the clergyman died leaving much sadness in the residents of Firavitoba, when the side walls and the back were raised, but as the model was lost, there were many inconveniences that were presented for the continuation of the work. Only until 1916, when the priest Abdénago Zambrano (*), from Firavitoba, arrived, was interest returned and the work was followed, with a design brought by Father Hugo Orjuela, commissioned by the priest, directed by the master Gregorio Gómez. At this time came advances to the town as were the telegraph (1919) and the public telephone (1926), making it easier to communicate with other regions, as well as the home aqueduct in 1929, and the road to Sogamoso (1933).

In 1937 the roof of the temple was finished, because by disposition of Monseñor Luque, bishop of Tunja, the frontis had been suspended (*), to protect the walls that had risen. Once this was done, the front continued uninterruptedly, until the year 1946 when the north tower was finished and in 1949 the other tower, the construction being completed on the outside.

The advance, as always was presented in the temple, that moved his work behind the middle wall for the construction of the central altar, which was directed by Mr. Luis Alberto Molano thereafter. The Paipa road through the Vargas Swamp, after many interruptions, just over 20 years after it started, was put into service in 1951.

The constitution of the Pro-Luz Company of Firavitoba at the beginning of 1953 deserves special mention, by neighbors of the population, installing five thousand meters of isolated number eight cable, twenty-five posts, insulators, five keys, hooks, safety belt, two pulleys for hardening cable and accessories. Connection work was started and that's how the engine started up, finally seeing the electric light in the municipality, an attempt that was made since 1936.

In 1962 something great happened in the history of the municipality, because the visit of the Minister of Health and other national government figures was received, because the first stone of the health post was placed on the southwestern side of the School Concentration, which it was built with the support of the American government. The gathered Municipal Council, in the afternoon, declared the green flag with a tricolor diagonal strip and the shield with the drawing of the temple and some ears of wheat created. And the following year the inauguration of the baccalaureate, which was so necessary to the municipality, which had its first promotion of bachelors only until 1973. At that time (1965) the sewer was made through the streets of the populated center.

In 1976 came the day of the culmination of that proud monument of our land, that day the village dawned adorned, its temple and its houses adorned with the national, municipal and pontifical flags. The ceremony of the consecration of the "Temple of Our Lady of the Snows" was presided over by Monsignor Augusto Trujillo Arango, Archbishop of Tunja. Something very solemn in which very important people came to Firavitoba.

In 1985, invitations were made to bring the water from the Tota lagoon to the municipality, so the people promised to contribute 1,000 weights to the communal action to help with the compensation expenses, due to the passage of water. It worked hard until it was completed.

In June 1988, the first mayor of the popular election was inaugurated and since then that ceremony has been held successively, first every two years. Now it is every four years and the mandate starts on January 1st. At the beginning of 1989, on the site of the demolished children's school, north of the main square, a lot was given to Telecom for the construction of the building that would be the headquarters of the company, thus facilitating the lifting of the local telephone network. That had already been arranged since 1978, but it had not been consummated, again by carelessness.

One day in January 1995, everything was calm when a shaking of the earth came, then a stronger one and it kept trembling; Many panicked prisoners searched the streets; among their prayers those who gathered in the plaza heard a great roar, followed by a dust rising to the sky, and there was almost a single voice: "The church fell"; It was a few seconds that seemed like an eternity. All again in calm ... The dust passed and it could be seen that the left tower of the temple was without the tips and the right seriously damaged. The intensity had been 6.6 on the Richter scale. What a sad event!

Then again everything revolved around the reconstruction of the temple, by means of activities to collect funds, first dismantling and raising the towers until the year 2000; then the arrangement of the roof and finally the ceiling.

By agreement with the government, in 2005 the paving work of the Firavitoba-Vargas Swamp road was started, which if completed with good quality, would be communicated with Paipa, shortening the distance to Tunja, something that later it would be seen as another frustration for the suffering people. Also, that same year, the contract between the Sugamuxi Consortium and the mayors of Sogamoso, Iza and Firavitoba was secured for the recovery of the road that communicated these municipalities, for a total of three thousand five hundred sixty-six million weights, with a width of seven meters and a one-meter road, contract that had been signed with another consortium, which had had difficulties.

In 2012 the Public Library was inaugurated, a space of three hundred square meters with two service modules: in the first the general area with shelves, reading tables for adults, computers and a special area for children; in the second, the area of the bathrooms, equipped with furniture for children and adults, as well as a sanitary service space, built according to regulated requirements, for people with disabilities.

In 2014, the theme park of Sor Gabriela was inaugurated, which was very different from the one there was. It was plated in stone, with stories and engravings of the Servant of God, a statue of her, resting on the column of the ancient temple, covered, in the eastern part and in the western part the ancient baptismal font, also covered. It was a time of contradictions because important works were not done by the municipal government and a company undertaken by the national government, which was the new sewer was poorly made, leaving the streets damaged.

Only until 2017 did some streets begin to be fixed, the hot-road and four-lane renovations were completed, with uniform platforms and new rainwater drains, as the old sewage system that had been left for that had been damaged by those who had done that job in 2015.

• * Parish Archive of Firavitoba

Economy

The main economical activity of Firavitoba is livestock farming. Other economical areas consist of agriculture and limestone quarrying.^[1]

Airport

The small airport serving Sogamoso, Alberto Lleras Camargo Airport (IATA-code: SOX), is located within the municipality Firavitoba.^[1]

Gallery

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  Temple of Our Lady of the Snows Firavitoba
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  Temple of Our Lady of the Snows Firavitoba
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  Temple of Our Lady of the Snows Firavitoba
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  Interior Temple of Our Lady of the Snows Firavitoba
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  Airport "Alberto Lleras Camargo" of Sogamoso, located in Firavitoba

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Firavitoba.